


The Geek Squad

by shadowolfhunter



Category: NCIS
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-08-02
Updated: 2013-08-11
Packaged: 2017-12-22 05:43:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,905
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/909603
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shadowolfhunter/pseuds/shadowolfhunter
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Special Agent Tim McGee has been a member of the MCRT for more than three years now, and things have not improved. As Tim's college mentors come to town, and he prepares to be part of a major Naval computer project, for the first time since he went into FLETC Tim is questioning his choices. He could be in a positive work environment, earning three or four times his NCIS salary, with stock options and people he counts as good friends to support him. Why the hell is he still trying to make it as a Field Agent at NCIS? As Tim's friends rally to support him, Tony and Kate realise for the first time that just maybe they may have overstepped the mark and even Gibbs sees that he has let his agent down. Drs Fairchild and Drax can offer Tim McGee so much more, the question is not so much will he go, as why would he stay?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Geeks at Rest

Tim McGee put his hand on his keyboard, and realized a second too late the reason for DiNozzo’s smug look. Dammit.

Three years. Tim had been putting up with DiNozzo and Kate Todd for three whole years, and he had just about had enough. On good days, they were fine, and Kate was even kind to him.

On bad days, and this one was obviously going to be one of those, his job was hell on earth. His team mates never lost an opportunity to taunt him and set him up. Tim gently pushed back on his chair and reached across his body with his other hand to pull his top drawer open.

His second mistake, as his fingers bonded to the handle. Tim sighed for a second, any day but today. His mentors would be at NCIS, a top level meeting with Director Sheppard and some trouble-shooting on a computer system that was classified. Tim had done a little work on it. The very last thing he wanted to do would be to look stupid in front of Nic and Henri, who had given him his first scholarship.

“What’s the matter, Probie?”

He looked up at the snort, Tony’s grin was ear to ear, the taunting words already dripping out of his mouth. The disdain took Tim to a place he really didn’t want to go. Miserably he yanked back on his hand, tearing his skin. Shaking his sore fingers he pried open his drawer and pulled out the solvent and cotton buds he kept there. A few minutes and he freed himself, and stalked to the men’s washroom to wash his hands and check his fingers for damage.

Tony DiNozzo settled back in his seat. The prank was priceless, the look on McGee’s face as he realized he was stuck.

Tony leaned back with a smile. A Probie pranked and all was right with the world.

Kate looked up from her desk. “You are a pig, DiNozzo.”

Tony wasn’t sweating it, there was a smile in her voice and that told him she was just as amused at Probie’s naivety as he was. McGee was just the perfect patsy. “I didn’t see you objecting too hard.”

Kate had to admit that Tim was soft. Too soft for his own good. He needed to wise up to DiNozzo and learn to stand on his own two feet.

Neither of them noticed that they were being watched from above.

[][][][][][][][]

Tim washed his hands, his fingertips were sore, but no real damage had been done luckily. He certainly didn’t want his mentors and friends Nic and Henri to see him hurt. It was bad enough that the unnecessary stresses of Tim’s job had already been a topic of conversation amongst Tim and his geek friends.

Dammit. He almost slammed his hand into the washbasin’s shiny surface. He had let his guard down once already. Shown his mentors the reality of his day to day situation and they were already horrified.

Henri had vowed that Tim would come and work for them, and Tim had to admit to himself that the salary that Nic had offered him was breathtaking. But Tim’s heart was with what he was already doing.

The difference was simple, and devastating in its own way, Nic and Henri respected his choices and gave him the freedom to choose. He had chosen to stay with NCIS on the MCRT. They had supported his decision, and Henri had even thrown a few minor coding projects his way as a sort of bonus.

[][][][][][][][]

Dr Dominic Fairchild stood on the landing above and watched the interaction between his friend and mentee, and the rest of the man’s team. He had seen the whole incident. _Superglue?_ Nic formed his own opinions very quickly, Tim’s senior agent was immature, and something very close to a playground bully. The woman agent was no better. Nic had seen her smile at the agent Dinozzo’s antics and her complete lack of support or compassion for her younger team mate.

Nic was just grateful that his partner was not there to see it. Henri would have lost his temper and ripped them both a new one.

In Henri Drax’s eyes, Timothy McGee could do no wrong.

Nic sighed, Henri’s support for Tim was unwavering, and perhaps a little obsessive.

Nic and Henri had first met Tim when he was sixteen and an early admissions candidate for MIT. They had also met his father.

It was the unfortunate incident with the cup of coffee, Henri’s beloved little brother Pierre, and the Admiral that had firmly marked Tim out as the future recipient of Fairchild and Drax’s first study scholarship. Pierre was a sweet, gentle, biddable child, an accident of birth had left him developmentally slow. It was Pierre’s misfortune to accidentally jog the Admiral’s elbow. The coffee spilled, and the furious admiral rounded on Pierre. Shouted at him. Which was when Tim had stepped in and stood up for Pierre against his father. Henri and Nic had returned from a brief meeting prior to interviewing the candidates and had been witness to the shouting and Tim’s defence of Pierre.

Nic sighed again, this job was going to be a hard one. He and Henri were giving their time for the nominal sum of a dollar. Which was fine, and endeared them to to the top brass. Sadly, in Nic’s discussions with SecNav it had come to light that Admiral McGee was part of the project team.

As Nic was very quick to point out, Dr Henri Drax’s dislike of fools in general, and Admiral Robert McGee in particular, was going to make this project volatile at best. Privately Nic doubted that even the closeness of almost thirty years of friendship and partnership was going to keep the lid on Henri’s mercurial temper.

There was one bright spot, it worked in their favour that the Admiral, while something of an arrogant fool, was also a toady. Nic’s own Boston Brahmin background impressed the man, but Henri’s ancient, noble antecedents reduced him to servile boot licking. Something that Henri did not hesitate to exploit.

Nic rubbed a hand over the back of his neck. The project, the formal engagements, the weekend that he and Henri had planned with their friends, offset by the hierarchy and the personalities. A minefield, it would be Nic’s job to negotiate the minefield, while keeping the disparate parts of the project in their simple but loose alliance. Round them all up and keep them travelling in the right direction.

 _A piece of cake!_ Nic wondered if he had enough Advil.

[][][][][][][][]

Henri Drax leaned casually against the back wall of the elevator and watched the lights on the indicator board. Pierre was with his trusted secretary, because Henri wanted to see Tim and his teammates in action. Nic might have believed that they were just leaving it all up to Tim, but Henri was not about to leave his young friend unprotected. He had a few friends scattered through NCIS, some of them even on investigative teams that shared a floor with MCRT, and Henri had disturbing reports from two separate sources on that floor, and one in Cybercrimes, that Tim McGee was being disrespected by his teammates, and his boss was doing nothing effective about it.

Hell, even the lab-rat was giving him a hard time. Apparently the woman had a bee in her bonnet about Tim having been to MIT.

Henri had promised Nic that he would not interfere, nor would he try to charm and otherwise schmooze Tim into taking the job with them. 

But that did not mean that he wasn’t going to provide Tim with some very visible high level support. He had been photographed enough over the years, many newspaper and magazine articles had made a considerable fuss over his eligible bachelor status, even someone as self-absorbed as Anthony DiNozzo was going to recognize Dr Henri Drax.

Showing his teammates that Tim was not unprotected and had the support of his friends, perhaps would persuade the older agent to back off.

The elevator arrived at its destination and Henri straightened up, pinned his best ‘schmooze the natives’ smile on his face and exited onto the bullpen floor.

[][][][][][][][]

Tim dried his hands carefully, studied the two nasty raw patches on the index and ring fingers on his left hand and scowled. He had seriously had enough of this crap. Nic and Henri had offered him a job, huge money, good friends that he admired and respected to work for, no one to razz him, poke fun at almost everything about his personal life and most importantly no one to invade his privacy on almost a daily basis.

He hated feeling like this. He knew he would love working with his friends, they would offer him everything he could ever ask for in the way of opportunities and a fantastic work environment. But he had worked so hard to get where he was. MCRT was a huge feather in his cap, and Timothy McGee was a great deal more ambitious than his self-effacing exterior suggested.

[][][][][][][][]

Tony DiNozzo’s alpha male threat radar was pinging. The tall, lean and handsome man swaggering into his personal space with the kind of confidence one is born with was enough to pull him off balance.

The guy seemed kind of familiar too.

“Can I help you?” Tony was on his feet, irritably aware that Kate had also picked up on the handsome stranger in their midst and was making her way back to them.

The stranger glanced around, “Tim McGee?”

The accent was not American, it had overtones of North American, so Tony was guessing Canada, and was about to ask more questions when a shout of “HENRI!” came from behind him, and the stranger’s smile widened “TIM.”

Tony spun around, decidedly off-kilter as he was ignored in a surge of matey hugging and back slapping as Tony’s Probie co-worker trampled on the hierarchy carelessly.

“It’s so good to see you.” Probie sounded really excited, which also pinged on Tony’s radar, probies were supposed to be anxious and careful around senior agents, that his probie suddenly wasn’t was something new and troubling to Tony.

McGee being an admiral’s son, Tony knew exactly everything he needed to about Tim McGee, it made sense that he knew some people of wealth and consequence. But this? Tony was no fool, he knew expensive, made to measure suiting when he saw it. Henri’s silver-grey suit was beautifully cut and fit his lean frame perfectly, the shirt was silk, the skinny grey tie a perfect two shades darker than the suit material, the shirt cuffs showed the requisite half inch at the end of the suit sleeves, and there was a glimpse of bracelets beneath, both wrists, looked silver in colour but were probably white gold or platinum, Tony glanced down, black ostrich boots, heavy buckle in silver. Tony knew his designers, and everything this guy was wearing screamed serious money.

 _Henri_. That name was starting to ring bells in Tony’s slightly overheated brain as he watched his probie being more animated than Tony thought he had ever seen McGoo.

“Tim, aren’t you going to introduce us?” It was on the tip of Tony’s tongue to ask that question, and he turned, annoyed that Kate had beat him to it.

“Yeah, Tim.” Tony echoed weakily. This whole thing was pulling him off balance.

The interloper turned, “Henri Drax… m’sieur.” Slim hand extended, Tony took it in a daze as it hit him like a ton of bricks. Images tumbled through his mind, the amber eyes, like a cat, the lean figure, the strength in the grip of the man’s hand. The accent. Dr Henri Drax, Chevalier d’Aubray, father French nobility, mother French-Canadian, practically royalty herself, Henri the middle son of three, the brilliant one, partnered up with Dominic Fairchild right out of MIT, made millions. Everything they touched turned to gold. Some tragedy in Drax’s past, and the man never married. Making him the most eligible bachelor that anyone, including Kate Todd, was ever likely to meet.

He was holding her hand. Tony could feel the guy’s magnetism from five feet away. And something rocketed through him right then. An unusual feeling.

Tony shook his head. Very Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo did not do jealousy.


	2. Tim's the prize

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony learns more. And he's not happy. Gibbs comes to realise what this project, and McGee's friends, might mean for the future of his team.

Tony DiNozzo was discovering that yes, he did do jealousy. 

He figured that it had to be a one off, McGoo’s geek friend with the beautiful clothes and the trim athletic body, the man had sat down on a chair next to McGeek’s desk and not a spare ounce of flesh overflowed his belt. The dancer’s grace with which he moved, and the way his clothes skimmed his body, Tony would bet any money that the butter-soft silk shirt covered rock-hard abs.

Geeks were supposed to be pasty and a bit soft, not lean, trim, and incredibly handsome with a soft sensual voice and a beautiful accent which was doing all sorts of things that Tony didn’t like to the women in the room.

So he figured the partner would fit the geek mould better and all would come back right with the world.

Dr Dominic Fairchild was tall, dark and handsome. More heavily built than his partner, but still lean and trim. Impeccably dressed, perhaps more conservatively than the Frenchman, but if that dark grey suit cost less than five thousand dollars Tony had lost his touch.

So perhaps the partner was less enamored of McGeek. Tony watched for signs that McProbie might be less than welcome.

The way they both hugged him and talked animatedly to him, that one was a bust too.

[][][][][][][][]

He was officially in hell. Sitting in a restaurant, at a dinner table with his team and McGeek’s friends.

An expensive Georgetown restaurant, the kind that Tony liked to frequent, Drs Fairchild and Drax moved through the restaurant in the lead, with the kind of social ease that comes from old patrician families and supreme inner confidence. Drax had abandoned the suit in favor of skinny levis and a dark check shirt with a navy blazer, Fairchild also wore jeans with a green tee shirt and a gray sweater over.

Tony gritted his teeth. Fornell had shown up, with his beautiful sidekick, Ziva David. Late of MOSSAD, she had become a US citizen and an FBI agent and however much he detested the FBI, Tony had been attempting to get a date with her for weeks.

Now the object of his desires, and his female partner were both being charmed by McGee’s friends and Tony was out in the cold.

What made it worse, there were two of Drax. If anything the younger one, or Tony assumed he was younger, less grey in his hair, no lines on his face, was even more stunningly handsome than Henri himself. What was weird was how protective Drax, Fairchild and McGee seemed to be with him.

DiNozzo used getting the next round of drinks ploy to get a little closer. Having got the orders from a few of their group, Tony turned his attention to the younger Drax, “what would you like?”

The cat-like amber eyes turned to Tony, a slightly puzzled frown crossed the handsome young face, and in that moment DiNozzo understood exactly what Henri Drax’s mystery family tragedy was. It was quite a shock.

A very awkward moment when DiNozzo faltered, and Henri looked round with a flash of something that looked very much like anger and panic, Tim stepped in to cover. “Pierre likes juice. Orange or cranberry, thanks Tony.” He put his arm around Pierre’s shoulders in a protective gesture. 

There was an edge of steel to McGee’s tone that Tony had never heard before. He looked up, McGee’s face was perfectly neutral, but there was a hard look in his eyes that subtly suggested DiNozzo should watch his tongue.

Not necessary. Tony DiNozzo might be a loud-mouth who had trouble knowing when to stop, but hurting someone clearly as damaged as Pierre Drax was evil in anyone’s language. It hurt Tony that McGee could think that of him. Hurt and off-balance, Tony was starting to feel resentful.

Ziva David picked up on the flash of panic in Henri Drax’s eyes when DiNozzo spoke to Pierre. She had met Henri several times in the course of the last year, they had enjoyed dinner and several very flirtatious dates, and when Henri had called to invite her and her boss, Fornell, to this gathering she was well aware that he was attempting to introduce her to his little brother. The next step to a much more serious relationship.

Seeing Henri less than suave and confident sparked something deep and nurturing in Ziva. She knew the truth about the long ago girl who had broken Henri’s heart, and why. He loved Pierre so fiercely, which was why McGee could do no wrong in Henri’s eyes.

After Ziva’s unfortunate experience with CIA-Ray, Henri Drax’s charm and gentle consideration was a soothing balm to Ziva’s soul. She knew that Henri was deeply fond of Tim McGee and worried about the treatment he received at the hands of the bull-headed Gibbs, the immature and arrogant DiNozzo, the arrogant and selfish Kate Todd.

She would bring peace to her lover’s soul, and they would make a home together with Pierre, and Ziva would do her best to win McGee for the FBI.

If only the immature DiNozzo would stop trying to flirt with her, and his selfish partner Kate would stop trying to flirt with her Henri.

[][][][][][][][]

The meal was elegant and expensive, and the exact opposite of Gibbs’ usual fare. It was nice to dine out once in a while, but Gibbs couldn’t shake himself of the feeling that the undercurrents flowing around the table were very dangerous waters indeed.

He couldn’t remember a time he had seen Tim McGee so relaxed and happy. It shouldn’t have concerned him, but it did. Tim so animated, chatting happily with Drax and Fairchild, and Drax’s younger brother, Pierre; ignoring Tony’s increasingly obvious attempts to get more attention on himself, barely glancing towards Kate.

It dawned on Gibbs that Tim McGee didn’t need to do what he did. Despite Admiral McGee’s disappointment in his son, Tim was brilliant. He didn’t have to be at NCIS, drawing a lowly Government paycheck when he could be out there with the big boys, in his element. It was obvious to Gibbs that Fairchild and Drax not only respected McGee, they were very fond of him. Barely even a decade between McGee and the partners who were his mentors, they were almost bound to be close.

These guys cared and they respected him, and they understood him. Gibbs thought about the number of times that he had cut McGee off mid-explanation. Indifferent to what McGee was telling him, just interested in the explanation or the short cut. Tony’s pranks, Kate oscillating between being McGee’s protector, and joining in on Tony’s pranks and jokes.

For the first time Gibbs had a glimpse of a reality that he didn’t like. A reality where Tim McGee gave up on the team who cared so little for his contributions to the investigations and decided to join another team, or make his way in a private sector that would give him everything he deserved.

Tim’s brilliant mind needed positive encouragement to flourish.

Then Fornell’s Girl Friday, Ziva David moved in to the space next to Henri Drax and the balance shifted again.

Gibbs had known Tobias Fornell for a long time, they shared a mutual ex-wife, and he was well aware of the FBI Agent’s interest in Tim McGee. McGee had met Ziva on several occasions and the Israeli had always been kind and respectful towards him. This project was high profile. Several agencies, both civilian and military, involved. Gibbs suddenly realised that McGee was going to shine, and when he did, there was a whole alphabet soup of agencies, and several big business organizations, would move in on his agent.

Gibbs did not like to lose. Until this night he had never really believed that he would.

[][][][][][][][]

Dominic Fairchild watched his partner with concern. Henri was mercurial at the best of times, but the pressure of the project, the new lady in his life, and the knowledge that Admiral McGee was involved in the project, his hyper-awareness of McGee’s team and the pranks, even down to his jumpiness over his brother. At this rate Henri was going to fret himself into a nervous breakdown.

Even Pierre had picked up on Henri’s nervousness. Nic watched the younger Drax watch his brother. People were quick to label Pierre as slow, and it was true that the accident at his birth had left him with challenges to overcome, but Pierre was sensitive and loving. He couldn’t put that love into words, but Nic watched as Pierre spontaneously hugged his brother, and saw Henri visibly settle.

Nic approved of Henri’s new girlfriend. She was as smart as she was beautiful, and gentle and kind with Pierre. After the disaster that was Henri’s college crush, the nightmare that at the time Nic had believed that he stood to lose his partner and best friend, and his best friend’s little brother; Henri’s girlfriend had tried to remove Pierre from the competition for her boyfriend’s affections.

Nic hoped with all his heart that his friend had finally found true happiness. Being a surrogate uncle and godfather to Nic’s children was one thing, Henri deserved a life and a family of his own.

[][][][][][][][]

Katie Todd watched as Tony simmered on the edge of the group. He was used to being the life and soul of the party, the one always at the centre of every group, and now he was marginalized and he didn’t like it.

Kate wasn’t all that happy herself. Her recent adventures in dating had done nothing to improve her social life. Dating one of DiNozzo’s college roomies had been a huge mistake. She felt as though life was passing her by.

A feeling made worse by the near miss on the factory roof that day. Ari Haswari had tried to kill her. Only a chance stumble over a piece of loose shale on the factory roof had dropped her out of harm’s way. Never had falling on your face seemed so providential.

The whole situation had unsettled her, unsettled Tony, even McGee had been affected; even though Tony was convinced that McGee had never been in any danger.

Kate supposed she wasn’t being very fair to McGee. It was hardly his fault that he had been behind the car. If he had died, she would have been devastated. It was just that this was McGee and…

She really didn’t know how to finish that sentence.

And that bothered her more than she was prepared to admit.

[][][][][][][][]

McGee looked around the room at the people. On the eve of the biggest delivery of his life, his coding _was_ perfect, he should be happy.

He was. That Nic and Henri were there to share his triumph, that finally his father might see the goods pay off.

Tim McGee had long since given up the idea that the Admiral might be proud, but in front of such overwhelming evidence, surely he might see some value in his son’s work.

**Author's Note:**

> AU. Kate and Paula are both still alive. Ziva went to the FBI, is a citizen and is Fornell's right hand woman. Ari is dead.


End file.
